To Apply

SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADER CERTIFICATE

The SDL Advanced Certificate program is designed for candidates seeking to become administrators at the district level (superintendents). This 12-hour program includes coursework in negotiations, superintendency, and central office leadership. NY SDL certification requires these 12 hours and 60 total graduate credits.

The SDL certificate program is also offered in a hybrid format, with some class sessions and some online work. SDL classes meet three times each semester on Saturdays, alternating by semester between the SBU Buffalo Center and the main campus in Olean.

With the permission of the program director, up to three (3) credit hours may be transferred into this program.

SDL program requirements

Admission to the program requires:

Master’s degree in education or a certification-related area, with a 3.0 GPA or better

I have more than 25 years' teaching experience in public and private schools in urban, rural and suburban settings. I have taught grades pre-k, kindergarten, 1, 3, 4 and 6 as well as language arts at the middle school level.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Published National Council on Crime and Delinquency Newsletter - Washington, D.C.

Someone once said to me, “Labels belong on T-shirts; not on people,” and so I am hesitant to label my philosophy of teaching. That being said, I believe that education should be an interdisciplinary process. It should be based on a shared vision and a commitment to a belief that all students can achieve.

This necessitates a positive school climate within an atmosphere that espouses a culturally appropriate pedagogy. It is a system in which instructional leaders self-reflect and exhibit high levels of self-efficacy; a system in which a shared decision making model and collaborative approach fosters self-efficacy among the teachers who in turn cultivate high levels of self-efficacy among the students.

The teaching and learning components should be approached within an understanding of brain research. It is making connections between the back and the front cortex of the brain in order to scaffold learning. It is building upon images to create new ideas and to enhance a knowledge base. It is recognizing the role of amygdale within the brain and its relationship to learning acquisition. The emphasis should be on learning with a focus on differentiated instruction.

Learning needs to be rigorous and relevant to real life. Education needs to be student-oriented, global in perspective and technologically infused. The emphasis of an effective education focuses on equity and quality. It teaches a student how to learn, how to acquiesce knowledge and how to apply these tools in the workforce as well as in the higher educational arena.

The learning environment needs to support the student within a holistic manner. It needs to provide academic, social, human, and moral support for the individual. It needs to prepare the student to compete with students across the globe. It needs to prepare the student to collaborate with others and to become a life-long learner.

From the perspective of the teacher, a learning environment is one in which the real world and school interface, where mentoring, guidance and support are stressed. It is removed from conventional time constraints and packaged curriculum in favor of authentic learning. It is utilizing rubrics and student evaluations as means for assessing growth. It is a learning environment in which technology is an integral part of the curriculum. It needs to be utilized by and for students in all contexts of learning.

From the perspective of the student, this learning environment is based on practical and meaningful activities. Creativity, problem solving and collaboration form the nexus for learning.

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS/PROJECTS

Dissertation: Teacher Perceptions of Autonomy within the Elementary School Setting: Self-Determination Theory to Assess for Basic Psychological Needs within the Workplace

Member of book advisory board for textbook on data by Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, Ph.D., Professor of Qualitative Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL